Chinese Chipmakers Develop Bonded DRAM and HBM to Bypass U.S. EUV Curbs

U.S. restrictions on China’s access to extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment have pushed Chinese semiconductor companies to advance their manufacturing processes through deep ultraviolet multi-patterning and wafer bonding. ChangXin Memory Technologies focuses on DRAM, while Yangtze Memory Technologies specializes in NAND. If they narrow the gap with South Korean manufacturers, they could reshape the AI memory supply chain and global market competition.

A recent report said CXMT is secretly developing next-generation “bonded DRAM” and HBM, seeking to use DUV multi-patterning to bypass U.S. export controls on EUV equipment. YMTC was also reported to have overtaken Samsung in NAND patent performance. The report estimated that the two Chinese companies had narrowed their technology gap with South Korean rivals to about three years, but did not disclose their research and development spending, production timelines or the report’s publication date.